"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

Former President Barack Obama has been lauded for running a very successful election campaign by using Integrated Marketing Communication strategies and effectively tapping the potentials of social media. He was the first president to have a real presence on Twitter, and Michelle Obama was the first FLOTUS joining Snapchat in July 2016.

But their social-media activity looks trivial compared with President Trump, who is tweeting on an almost hourly-basis. But his tweets are usually fallacious and factually challenged. And according to New York Times, Trump has insulted 305 people since declaring to run for president in 2015.

Source: CNN

Social media users have been reeling from the Trump’s 140-character “rants” announcements, and according to a recent NBC/WSJ poll, nearly 70% Americans agree that “in an instant, messages can have unintended major implications without careful review.”

Some suggest his tweets should be treated less as policy declarations but more like Snapchat. Brooks (2017) says every time Trump tweets or retweets something, experts jump into action to interpret his meaning and indications of future American policy. But this might be the wrong way to read Trump. He is more “postmodern.” He does not “operate by an if-then logic.” His mode is not “decision, implementation, consequence.”

“The one consistent thing about the Trump brand has been inconsistency,” as Dumenco (2017) summarized.

And the Snapchatter President just officially joined Snapchat three days ago. This could cause more panic and worries regarding the new president social media activities. So should Trump shut up, as so many people expect?

Source: Damon Winter / The New York Times

Dumenco (2017) analyzed Trump’s whole life as “working all the angles, every angle, to make sure everyone is paying attention to him.” With all his business and flamboyance, he has been built a “meta-brand” – a brand about branding. Howard (2017) agrees that he’s frequent activity on Twitter is an effort to bypass the traditional press and “to perpetuate his persona as a more accessible and unfiltered POTUS.” It’s all about grabbing attention and being worshiped. Brooks (2017) believe while Trump is bashing Obama on Russia or the Mideast, it’s not because of his potential policy implementation, but rather about “bashing enemies.” In a word, he might not be that harmful as he appears to be.

However, a country leader is not an ordinary person, and he has so many stakes on hand that he just can’t play around on social media. In the pan-entertainment era, the logic, seriousness and formality missing in Trump’s administration is very disturbing and precarious. But social media affords us “a historically unique ability to speak truth to power – directly” (Strange 2017), and it’s our best and most transparent method of knowing this logically and ethically challenged president.

Trump is here to stay, both in White House and our everyday social media feeds. The crucial question is: in the absence of a capable president, who and how will be the substance of actual governance?

Reference

Brooks, D. (January 3, 2017). The Snapchat presidency of Donald Trump. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/03/opinion/the-snapchat-presidency-of-donald-trump.html

Dann, C. (January 18, 2017). NBC/WSJ Poll: Nearly 70 percent of Americans give a thumbs down to Trump’s Twitter habit. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/nbc-wsj-poll-nearly-70-percent-americans-give-thumbs-down-n708116

Dumenco, S. (January 9, 2017). How to understand the Trump Brand in 2017. AdvertisingAge

Howard, A. (January 28, 2017). Trump on Snapchat? President’s expanded social media presence offer pitfalls. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/trump-snapchat-president-s-expanded-social-media-presence-offers-pitfalls-n712946

Lee, J. & Quealy, K. (January 20, 2017). The 305 people, places and things Donald Trump has insulted on Twitter: A complete list. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/28/upshot/donald-trump-twitter-insults.html?_r=0

Strange, A. (January 31, 2017). Banning Trump from Twitter would be a colossal mistake. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2017/01/31/why-twitter-should-not-ban-trump/?utm_cid=hp-hh-pri#1IcXGPRSsOqA

Clients traditionally ask advertisers to create campaigns with the intent of selling a product, or developing their brand’s reputation. But what if your client was a country ravaged by Civil War for over 50 years, and what they wanted was for you to help them sell peace? That is what advertising executive Jose Miguel Sokoloff and his agency were tasked with. As a result of dozens of successful campaigns, Colombia is finally on the path to peace. Tourism and international investments have increased, transforming Colombia and repositioning it as an up and coming nation.

Of all the campaigns that Sokoloff designed and launched, the one that resonated with me most was, “Mother’s Voice”. Through subtle yet profound emotional connections, the agency communicated directly to the FARC and reminded them of the significance of being with family during the holidays. The agency was able to locate over 20 mothers who had lost their sons and daughters to the Civil War and asked them to beg their children to come home. These mothers haven’t seen their children in over 20 years, so they provided old photos of their kids to the agency who then placed the words, “Before being a guerilla, you are my daughter/son”. These photos were strewn across the jungles of Colombia, thus hitting the proverbial jugular of the FARC and encouraging them to demobilize. The agency reports that 218 mothers have been able to welcome their children home as a result of the effective campaign.

Watch the clip from 60 Minutes Overtime here.

As a first generation Colombian, I cannot express what this means to my family. For the first time in my adult life, I no longer have to hide my heritage and can proudly praise the progress we have achieved. I am even more elated that this progress was achieved through effective advertising and not more violence. If you haven’t been to Colombia, I urge you to do so and am happy to provide travel tips. As my cousin Fabio would say, “Colombia es una chimba!” or, “Colombia is awesome!”.

Ciao!

References

(2016, December 11) Advertising to sell peace, not products. 60 Minutes Overtime. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-colombia-advertising-to-sell-peace-not-products/

Gone are the days of the 3.5 mm headphone jack, in addition to wired head phones. Is this the way of the future? According to Apple, it sure is. Still, it’s been a long time coming, and customers are chomping at the bit for a chance to snag the $159 (yes, you read that correctly) wireless ear buds. But, one question remains: Are they ready for public consumption?

Many will attempt to be the first in line for this luxury Apple product, much like customers do each time a new phone or accessory is available online or in store. It’s brand loyalty to the extreme, which keeps Apple on top in terms of technological advancement and public preference.  I won’t deny it: I’m one of the many who has flocked to the Apple store to purchase the latest and greatest device or product. But this time, I’m not so sure…

Aside from the price point, these puppies last only about 5 hours after one charge in their little carrier. For an avid music listener like myself, I’m accustomed to charging my phone to listen to music for hours on end, but now BOTH devices will need to be charged. Still, a quick 15 minute charge will give you about 3 hours of listening time. Not bad, but not convenient.

Now, can we talk about how small these things are?! Raise your hand if your future AirPod is already lost (*raises both hands). Though it’s speculated that purchasing just one AirPod could be a future option, it’s certainly an expensive one. Funny enough, these wireless ear buds have a $10 dongle cord available on Amazon to keep them together to prevent loss. Strange, considering the point of these is to be wireLESS, but nonetheless convenient.

It is no surprise that this is the way of the future in terms of music consumption. It’s a game changer, and one that will be the catalyst by which new, less expensive – but equitable – versions of the AirPod will be developed. Apple is a trailblazer, and one that has changed the face of technological advancement and human connection in a relatively short period of time. Though it may take some getting used to, I have a feeling the AirPods will be as commonplace in the next 5-10 years as iPhones are now.

Celebrities and athletes have millions of social media followers. So, it makes sense that companies will send free products hoping to see it used in a post. From the Kardashians, to Real Housewives, to actors and actresses fans want to look, dress, eat, and workout like their favorite celebrity. But, do celebrities really use those products or are they paid to post and image of themselves with the product?

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission cracked down on celebrities who were paid to promote and item, but did not make it clear to their fans they were doing so (Frier & Townsend, 2016). I noticed this first with Kylie Jenner and her sister Kim and a hair vitamin. Both Instagram accounts showed the women with a bottle of Sugar Bear vitamins and discussion about how great the product is for their hair. The Kardashian and Jenner family were called out because they have hundreds of social media images that are “advertisements”. The family then changed their posts and added #ad to let fans know it is an advertisement.

While the FTC requires celebrities to use #ad, #sp, and #sponsored, does this really protect the customer? And, while those hashtags notify fans they are looking at an advertisement, can they really get mad if a celebrity claims a teatox helps them keep their thin figure? In many ways the consumer needs to also use common sense. These celebrities also have personal trainers and chefs to help them keep their figure. It’s not just the tea.

But, giving celebrities free products or even paying them to promote the product on social media is a great marketing tool to reach millennials.

References:

Frier, S. & Townsend, M. (2016). FTC to crackdown on paid celebrity posts that aren’t clear ads. Bloomberg Technology [online]. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-05/ftc-to-crack-down-on-paid-celebrity-posts-that-aren-t-clear-ads

It is no surprise that television viewership has been on a steady decline over the last few years. It has come to the point where the value of the Nielsen ratings system is now being questioned. Streaming services have a lot to do with the decline in television viewership. According to recent studies, Netflix viewership reached a total of 42.5 billion hours in 2015 and accounted for half of the 3% decline in television viewership.

In recent years, more viewers are becoming familiar with video streaming services and the merge of television and social media. With the constant rise of multiple interactive social media platforms, television is becoming a less engaging form of entertainment. The fact is that viewers and audiences are becoming more active on mobile devices. According to a recent study, 84% of mobile device users use their devices during programs. Sports organizations and TV companies have started to acknowledge and cater to today’s active audience and have started to team with social media companies to stream live games and events. In 2010 ESPN launched an internet TV site and mobile application called WATCHESPN, which offers an online cast of the ESPN channel as well as live sporting events from around the world.

The app has led to a great deal of success for the company and is still running to this day. With users wanting to be more interactive during live programming, new ideas have sparked regarding live sports streaming and fan interaction. Facebook and Twitter have recently partnered with major sports organizations and television companies to provide live events on their platforms. By streaming live events on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, fan engagement is increased which can lead to increased viewership. Just this year, both social media sites aired live coverage of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup and while Facebook has agreed to air USA Olympic Basketball games, Twitter is currently in a deal with the NFL to air live Thursday Night Football games on their interactive platform.

https://youtu.be/ayZgCRk3sHU

While many have questioned the success and execution of sports streaming, it is evident that providing consumers and viewers with interactive platforms (for sports events), that increase “virality,” will be a common strategy in the next few years. According to recent studies, Apple TV is looking to partner with Twitter in order to provide live games to its viewers. With the increasing popularity of social media, live broadcasting, and video based media, the future of sports may soon require your login information.

References:

Chang, L. (2016). Netflix caused us to watch less tv, study more reports. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/netflix-tv-decline/

Kamal, S. (2016). Rethinking the second screen. Retrieved from http://clearbridgemobile.com/rethinking-second-screen-social-tv-and-the-active-audience/

Leung, D. (2016). Twitter and face book’s big push into live sports streaming starts with the nfl. Retrieved from http://www.sporttechie.com/2016/08/30/socialmedia/twitter-facebook-create-sports-live-streaming-viewing-experience/

Leung, D. (2016). The future of live streaming sports lies with social media networks. Retrieved from http://www.sporttechie.com/2016/07/25/socialmedia/future-of-live-streaming-sports-lies-with-social-media-networks/

Roussanov, B. (2016). The netflix effect: Television ratings in the internet age. Retrieved from http://harvardpolitics.com/culture/netflix-effect-television-ratings-internet-age/

Spangler, T. (2016). Netflix caused 50% of tv viewing drop in 2015. Retrieved from http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/netflix-tv-ratings-decline-2015-1201721672/